Gregg Popovich and assistant coach Becky Hammon stood up during the national anthem on Friday as players from the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings kneeled.
Popovich, a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and coach of the USA Basketball men's senior national team, had his hands at his side.
Players and coaches from the @spurs and @SacramentoKings kneel together during the National Anthem prior to tonight's tipoff. pic.twitter.com/9n5ov9tijr
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) August 1, 2020
#Spurs players kneel for National Anthem along with #Kings players ahead of #NBA restart game.
Coach Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon stood for anthem. Pop said earlier there was no directive and players could do what they felt was appropriate. #KSATnews #KSATsports #NBA pic.twitter.com/6DVIx6Uns6
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) August 1, 2020
Gregg Popovich has said many times that it's important for white people in positions of power to gain the trust of black players in the NBA since the league is mostly made up of African Americans. With that said, no one will question why the Spurs coach decided to stand during the national anthem.
The tragic murder of George Floyd in Minnesota has brought racism back to the forefront for NBA players in America. Moreover, multiple players in Orlando have decided to use their media sessions with reporters by calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, who was tragically killed by policemen in her home in Louisville.
Popovich supports the Black Lives Matter movement, so Spurs players won't have an issue with his recent action.
—
Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us. Get more on the Spurs as well.
All of our NBA and Spurs content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.
Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.
You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the Podcast tab on the ClutchPoints home page.
Follow Us
Subscribe